Chapter Sixty-Three: Nameless

Deep beneath the earth, after absorbing the souls of countless exotic beasts, Bruce’s appearance had become twisted and terrifying. No trace remained of his once-handsome, gentlemanly visage. Beside him, Yan Yu was so frightened that she sat on the ground, eyes wide in shock, supporting herself with her right hand while clutching her chest with her left, barely daring to breathe or make a sound.

“Yan Yu, what’s wrong? Am I that frightening?” Bruce grinned wickedly as he stared at her trembling form. It was the first time Yan Yu had seen him like this. Though she had steeled herself in advance, she could not suppress the terror surging within her.

“Young Master, you... I...” The words stumbled from Yan Yu’s lips, uncertain and incoherent.

“All I feel is power...” Bruce’s deep voice resonated as his features gradually softened, returning to his former, elegant self. He walked over and slowly crouched before Yan Yu. “Yan Yu, what’s wrong? Did I frighten you? You should be happy for me.” He then reached out his hand and helped her up.

“Yes, Young Master...” Yan Yu was still in shock. Bruce lifted her with the grace of a consummate gentleman helping a noble lady to her feet.

...

“What’s going on with my Mirror of Mountains and Seas?” Wu Ming pressed his hand against his mystical artifact, watching it intently. The mirror shook violently in his grasp.

“Master, what’s happening?” Ling Mei noticed Wu Ming’s agitation.

“Senior Sister, my mirror keeps vibrating. Is it sensing something? You must have felt that strange energy fluctuation earlier, right?” Wu Ming had sensed an odd surge of energy, fleeting but undeniable. The mirror’s trembling now confirmed his suspicion—it was real.

“Probably some exotic beasts entering the realm. Seems like there’s quite a number this time. But in broad daylight... Ah, forget it—too many strange things have happened lately. I need to nap and replenish my spiritual energy. Just look at these crow’s feet!” Ling Mei glanced at her reflection, unconcerned by the mirror’s warning, caring only for her beauty.

“All right, everyone, back to work. We still have a stack of files to review...” Seeing the mirror calm down, Wu Ming dropped the matter and ordered everyone to get back to their tasks.

...

“Young Master, what is our next step?” Yan Yu inquired, awaiting Bruce’s instructions.

“The next step? Seek out the Crimson Phoenix King. I need his soul...” Bruce assigned Yan Yu an exceedingly difficult mission. The Golden Phoenix was a divine beast tempered by cultivation; even when residing within a human vessel, it could not be easily captured.

“Young Master, I fear my abilities may not suffice... And with the Phoenix and the Queen together, they must be symbiotic, making it even harder to seize one.” Yan Yu hesitated, knowing the Phoenix was originally one being, split into Yin and Yang—the Phoenix as Yang, the Queen as Yin.

“It’s all right. You can do it.” Bruce smiled faintly and pulled a golden feather from his breast, whispering into Yan Yu’s ear, “Take this. When the time comes, just say...”

“Yes, Young Master. I will not fail you. I will bring you the Phoenix King’s soul.” Yan Yu’s expression hardened, regaining her earlier composure.

“Absorbing the souls of these beasts truly causes my spiritual power to surge beyond measure!” A cold gleam flashed in Bruce’s eyes, his lips curling into a sinister smile. “The Unity Sect... the time to settle things is near...” With that, he and Yan Yu took the elevator to the surface. The depths below were littered with the corpses of beasts and beast-men, their eyes bulging in death, a gruesome sight in the shadowy chambers.

“It’s been two hours. The Young Master and Yan Yu should be done by now. Do they always take this long? They’ve got some stamina!” Pony, waiting in the car, was growing impatient. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. “Speak of the devil!” He scrambled out to open the door for the Young Master and his “Young Mistress,” his attitude shifting in a heartbeat.

“Young Master, where to now? Same place as always?” Pony inquired as he drove.

“I’ll go to the usual spot. Take Yan Yu to Seaside City,” Bruce replied absentmindedly. Then, as if remembering something, he asked, “Pony, what’s the name of the Unity Sect’s head you mentioned earlier?”

“Young Master, their leader is Nameless. I asked a bunch of agents, and they all said he’s Nameless!” Pony shook his head in frustration.

“Got it. That’s him. His name is Wu Ming!” Bruce clearly knew Wu Ming and was only confirming. “Pony, find out everything you can about his family or friends. We’ll use them to get to Wu Ming. If you succeed, I’ll reward you with 100 million Hong Kong dollars!”

“One hundred million?!” The car lurched as Pony processed this, then gradually resumed its speed. “Young Master, I know he’s important to you, but I can’t even find his name. It won’t be easy, but I’ll do all I can—my life for yours.” Pony was indeed a stubborn mule.

...

“Little Donkey! From now on, you should be called Pig! Wu Ming is Nameless, don’t you get it?” Yan Yu clutched her head in exasperation. How could she make this pig understand? “The character ‘Wu’ with ‘Kou’ on top, and ‘Ming’ as in ‘Sun and Moon’!”

“Oh, my pig-headedness! I let Nameless trick me—so his name is Wu Ming!” The realization hit Pony hard. “Young Master, don’t worry. Tomorrow I’ll have someone investigate. I’ll dig up everything about him!” He grinned, showing his large front teeth.

Early the next morning, Pony gathered his agents—male and female alike—and set them to investigating Wu Ming.

“Everyone! I have a job for you: uncover every detail about Wu Ming, the Unity Sect’s leader, especially his family, friends, relatives—ideally even lovers! Leave nothing unexamined.” Pony declared the task with a stern look at his team.

“That’s easy. What’s the deadline?” asked a female agent.

“The sooner, the better. You have seven days. If you finish on time, each of you gets two million Hong Kong dollars. For every day ahead of schedule, another million each. You can work together if you like—a minimum of eight million, plus a four-million bonus, for a total of twelve million. If you finish early, I’ll add another four million, making it sixteen million in total! All you need to do is track down the people he cares about most!”

“We guarantee to complete the job! Boss Pony, just to clarify, all you need is his social information so you can pinpoint him, right?”

“Yes, it’s just that simple!” The agents’ hearts pounded with excitement at the prospect of such rewards. No killing, no robbery—just digging up information. An easy, lucrative deal.

Seeing their excitement, Pony grew even more elated. In his mind, he was already counting the 84 million he would pocket for moving his lips. What a bargain! Today was indeed a fine day—a bright, sunlit day! Humming a tune, Pony strolled along, utterly lost in dreams of wealth. “Eighty-four million! Ha ha!”